Remains of Kibbutz Be’eri Victim Dror Or Identified by Israel After Return from Gaza

JERUSALEM : The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced today that forensic examiners have positively identified the remains of a deceased Israeli hostage returned from Gaza as Dror Or, a devoted father and cheesemaker from Kibbutz Be’eri.

The remains were transferred by Hamas to Israel yesterday, facilitated by the Red Cross, marking another step in the repatriation of all captives and their remains under the ceasefire agreement.

Dror Or, 48, was tragically killed during the brutal October 7, 2023, attacks on his community, Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit farming communities. His wife, Yonat Or, was also murdered in the attack.

The family’s ordeal extended for months:

Dror and Yonat were murdered on October 7.

Dror’s body was taken into Gaza, and his two children, Noam and Alma, were also abducted alive.

The children were released in November 2023 as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement.

Confirmed: The Or family was informed in May 2024 that Dror had been murdered on October 7 but that his body had been held in Gaza.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Or, whose name means “freedom light” in Hebrew, as a “free spirit spreading strong light around the world,” and a talented chief cheesemaker at the Be’eri dairy and a yoga teacher. His return marks the first time since October 7 that no one from Kibbutz Be’eri remains in captivity.

The successful identification leaves the remains of only two deceased hostages—one Israeli and one Thai national—still held by Hamas in Gaza.

While Israeli intelligence has assessed that locating and retrieving all remains is difficult due to the scale of destruction in the enclave, Hamas has continued to transfer bodies as part of the deal. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum continues to organize rallies across Israel, demanding the return of the remaining dead hostages for proper burial.